What’s the history on those curly Q style French Fries that chains like Arby’s sell?

Q:

What’s the history on those curly Q style French Fries that chains like Arby’s sell? I love them.

A:

Glad you are fond of these uniquely formed potato curls. I don’t know who was first, but in a December 1940's ad, the Dolores Restaurant & Drive-In in Oklahoma claimed to be the home of Suzi-Q fries. Ralph A. Stevens reported that they went thru 3,000 pounds of fresh Idaho® potatoes each month and were the subject of an ad for Idaho Russet Potatoes (Later called the Idaho Potato Commission). He was hired by one of the Dallas based “pig stands”, a term that was the predecessor to the words Drive In. It went out of business, so he went back to Little Rock and then went to Florida For a chain called Goody Goody Burger (now scheduled to re-open in Tampa Florida) and back to Oklahoma City after the crash of 1929. He opened another restaurant, named after his daughter Dolores, in 1930. They invented “Suzi-Q potatoes” in 1938 which went over well at his restaurant which was located along Route 66. Eventually, he and his wife moved to California and opened more restaurants. The original in Oklahoma stayed open till 1974. Here is a re-print of the ad that ran: